Fender Player Plus Stratocaster Electric Guitar - Tequila Sunrise with Maple Fingerboard Reviews

This was a gift from my wife after coming home from a close call and a five day stint in intensive care.(thanks babe!!) Have had it about 4 months and can honestly say it is just an exceptional instrument. I play for the worship teams at our church (about 6 years) and our college campus ministry (just started post hospital), and have never received as many compliments on our sound as a team or guitar tone in particular. The Fender has quickly become a mainstay in my rig. Again, an exceptional instrument.

Who knew the Strats from Mexico would be so good? They have improved so much. I LOVE this guitar!

Who knew a Mexican-made Strat could be so great! They have really upped their game in the last few years and have built a guitar that I almost instantly fell in love with! Only issues is it didnt come with any paperwork or a tremolo arm - and yes I checked the packaging several times. Patrick Cobley did a great job taking care of my order too!

Fender out did themselves with this guitar.
A beautiful guitar in it's self. But gets the job done also it has features that the standard Stratocaster doesn't have.
Its powerful and Smooth.
From jazz to funk its that durable.
Get one for yourself.
Its one Badd motha ( shut your mouth)
I'm taking about the Fender Stratocaster.

I own almost sixty guitars of which most are Strats. Such an incredibly beautiful guitar. The "Tequila Sunrise" paint is fantastic to look at!
Playing it was no less stunning. The noiseless pickups are perfect. And the Sweetwater set-up is dead on and in tune right out of the box.
I ran through some Blues with the Strat plugged into my Fender Bassman amp.
This guitar really sang with the fret ends smooth and without any catch. Not a single flaw in the finish. I have to honestly say that this is one of my favorite Strats to own.
Hoping to play out with it next weekend.

I've got an older Player Series that I love but the rolled neck edges on the new player plus have me grabbing this new guitar first!

I've had 3 other less expensive Strats but couldn't bond with them, l didn't care for the sound but this one is amazing. Great sound and the neck is so Comfortable. I usually play a Tele but this has been my favourite since l got it. Thinking about buying one? Stop thinking and get it you won't be disappointed….!!

Fender has outdone themselves...! This guitar is sooooooo easy to play and the sound is amazing. Noiseless pickups are great, no buzzing like the normal SS pickup. The fingerboard with rolled edges is so comfortable you won't want to put it down. I usually play a Telecaster but I will be playing this just as much in the future. If you are thinking about buying one of these, stop thinking and get it, you won't be dissatisfied...!!!

This is the best value on a guitar I have ever gotten in my many decades as a guitarist and tone chaser (well, along with the Epiphone Les Paul Custom I also purchased from Sweetwater). I would put it up against any American Strat. Not only is it beautiful to look at, but it sounds fantastic, is whisper quiet thanks to the Fender noiseless pickups, and it stays in tune (unlike my Gibson Les Paul LOL!) The playability of the neck and fingerboard is like butter. Where this guitar really shines is through my pedals. The clean or slightly overdriven sound through my Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer and Strymon Flint Reverb is HOLY GRAIL -so lush, full, and chiming (unlike the thin sound you so often hear with Strats when they are played clean). It sounds ferocious through my Friedman BE OD, which is my fave overdrive/distortion pedal since my original Rat, and heavenly through my Canyon Delay. A shout out to Aaron, my Sales Engineer for being so easy, gracious, and professional to work with.

This is a beautiful guitar and the Player Plus Noiseless pickups are excellent. I have played all the Fender noiseless pickups including on the Clapton and Ultra Strat. These sound much better to me. The guitar arrived with dead frets between the 7th and 13th frets. When I did the check on each note the high E, B and G strings were dead between the 7th through the 13th. There was finish build up on these frets that was extremely thick. I polished most of it off except for a couple of lumps of finish on the 9th fret which kept me from sliding into the A note on the 10th fret. Painters tape and steel wool enabled me to remove these bumps of finish on the 9th fret. Now the guitar plays wonderfully. Everything else about these Player Plus Stratocasters are exceptional. I believe this was a one off problem with the one I received.

I have owned many Fender Strat's in my life, Custom Shop, American Standard's, Squires etc., but never a Fender "Made in Mexico". To be honest the color scheme is what grabbed me. Also, the fact this guitar has a 12-degree fingerboard. This guitar looks great, and it plays fantastic. The noiseless pickups are super quiet and very articulate. This guitar stays in tune even with the whammy bar and the Sweetwater setup is fantastic. So, tell me, did I get lucky? or are all these Player Plus Strat's this good?

I must admit it was the look that caught my eye at first. Then I started looking at the specs I love a blonde neck and an Alder body. From a prior experience with a MIM telecaster I was so impressed with the body in the neck I did change out the pick ups to the fender GEN four noiseless pick ups and now I just could not part with it the sound is beyond great. So I went ahead and bought this thinking I might have to change out the pick ups they sound pretty darn good to me much better than the prior MIM pick ups. The neck and the body are perfect on this new Strattcaster and of course it was set up perfectly by Sweetwater. I'm not a gig bag guy so I bought a gator case that's just awesome for the money. It is a bit heavy for a Strat but I think that's the alter body which I prefer so no problem there. I would say if you're looking at one just buy it the price is right the product is fantastic.
Which brings me to my guy at Sweetwater who is Drew he has helped me immensely over the years. His knowledge is off the chart because he is a player. Just a sidenote but he knows foot pedals fantastic I think he is actually played through everyone he sure has help me there.
So there you have it a really good product and the best place to buy it

I love the finish but this strat plays awesome it has everything I was looking for maple fretboard locking tuners push/pull pot the only disappointment for me was the satin finish on the fretboard .wish it had been gloss finish don't mind satin on the back .just my personal preference I've always been a tele or les paul guy I was missing out on a great guitar sad to say I've been playing 40 years this is my first stratocaster I absolutely love this guitar my favorite colors are red orange and yellow I think they made it just for me.if your looking at this strat just get it the quality was top notch .

I've been playing mostly Tele's and an occasional Strat for the past 50 years. I always said I prefer a Tele over a Strat because I have found the action and the twang the Tele has can't be touched by a Strat. I saw this Strat on the Sweetwater website
and I liked the finish on it and also all the extras like locking tuners and the flexibility of the sound you get with the switchable second tone controls knob but I really didn't expect a whole lot more given this is a MIM Strat. I've had it for a few weeks now and I am completely SOLD, this is the most player friendly electric guitar I've ever played. It's a pleasure to play and the sounds you can get out of it are amazing. The quality of fit and finish is as good if not better then most American Strats. If you do buy one it will be money well spent and you'll love it.

This strat has a lot of voice. Comparing to my Lonestar strat, I would say that they both are fantastic, but this 'Player' has so much more voice -it's a Songbird. The setup by Sweetwater (including the trem.) is wonderful. The D'Addario NYXL1046BT Nickel strings sound great on this "Tequila" stratocaster. The workmanship is flawless. Thank you Fender and Sweetwater.

This new Fender Player Stratocaster is named appropriately. Plays great. Like butter in your hands. Set-up is excellent with low action. Silky!!
My sales Representative Victor Gomez was easy and excellent to work with!!

I have a 2020 MIM player series and a 2021 American professional 2 series and this player plus is quickly becoming my favorite! The upgraded pickups sound so clean. I'm a huge fan of the larger radius fretboard as well.

New finish, Check! NEW electronics, CHECK! NEW rolled fingerboards with 12" radius, CHECK! Locking Tuners, CHECK! Noiseless Pups, CHECK! Push/Pull for Pos 1&2, CHECK! Gig bag, Check! The player series was already solid, add all the upgrades and you have a home run! This thing feels as sweet as it sounds. The 12" rolled fingerboard is marvelous and will have you wanting to play all day long! The new noiseless pups deliver too. From crystal cleans to gnarly dirt, its ready to put out the sound you demand. This thing has things even the entry American Performer does NOT have. The comfortable neck and noiseless pups will make you think youre playing an American Fender! The finish is flawless and demands attention, this is no longer a classic car color but instead the hood blown classic car with wicked flames! This thing is really great and well worth the extra cost over the already solid Player models. Will def be grabbing a Tele Player Plus in the near future. If you are on the fence about rather to get this or the normal player model, jump over to the Player Plus side! This is a great guitar for anyone looking for an SSS strat or new Fender with awesome features without breaking the bank. These MIM Fenders keep getting better and better....

Wow- what a great addition to the legendary Stratocaster family. This is my sixth Strat. I have USA, Mexican and Japan Strats in my collection. All of them have their own unique vibe, feel and sound. That's the beauty of different models. You have the core instrument with a variety of features. This Strat does not disappoint.
Ultimately, great tone comes from your hands and heart. As long as you bond with an instrument, it doesn't matter what the masses say.
I usually tend to go for basic colors on my instruments, however this Tequila Sunrise was intriguing to me. The pickup switching is awesome as well.
As always, thanks Sweetwater for awesome service and customer care. This guitar was set up perfect and ready to go.
I've played it through my Fender and Vox amps and WOW, nice for high gain pedals with the noiseless pickups.
Yes, for my old school conventional Strat sounds, I still have 5 others to choose from lol. If I had to choose one Strat to keep, the Player Plus would be my choice. Even over my USA professional.
I totally bonded with it.
Let your ears and hands make the choice. Looks are secondary.

I have a normal Player series that I love. Very solid guitars. The Player plus is a vast upgrade over that already great series! The rolled fingerboard and modern C satin neck is home in your hand. It is sooo comfortable! The upgraded electronics, noiseless PUPS are great! The locking tuners are rock solid stable, the push pull on pos. 1 and 2 is fantastic. I PARTICULARLY LOVE POS 1 whe. pulled, brings out a telecaster twang! Finish is flawless and unique! Plus a gig bag?!?! This is a stellar value over the already GREAT player series. Well worth the extra 200$! This does NOT feel like a MIM fender. Love it!

Pickups sound amazing

Where do I start? Love the locking tuners and great color selections. The finish of the body is absolutely stunning. But where it really got my attention was the rolled edges of the fretboard and the block saddles. Wish Fender would have gone with a contoured heel and a push-push tone knob, but overall I'm very impressed and satisfied with my purchase. Oh yeah, don't let the MIM thing mess with your head. This guitar sounds great!

When I got this the nut was not cut well. The G, B and E string would ping when bent and buzz on a open strum. Took to a pro for a setup and recut on the nut. Plays like a dream now. I love the pickups. Neck and frets feel great too! Fender did great with the specs and price. Just need to look at QC procedures in the Mexico factory.

The color on this guitar is wonderful. However, the cost for what you get on this instrument is not good. First the good... of course the color is fun and unique and great to look at, the saddles on this guitar are perfect and wont tear up the furniture or your hands and lastly the locking tuners are great and keep the guitar in tune especially on those dive bombs. Now the bad...First and foremost It has a modern C neck profile which is fine if you are a beginner, but most all of my musician friends hate them. It's sad, but lately the modern C or the deep C is the only neck fender wants to pump out. Every stage musician I know only uses a soft V, mid sixties C or an oval shape...but mostly soft V. Secondly, it has a zinc block which is just no good for sustain or sound transfer. lastly, Fender noiseless pickups...to my ear and every musician I have ever met that played guitar (save Eric clapton)...just doesn't cut it. As far as what's left on the guitar it's all pretty common and relatively cheap to make or buy. The price on this guitar seems quite high indeed and for me to buy it just for the items I have already mentioned seems a waste. Honestly, after the neck replacement, the bridge and block replacement (not the saddles) and the pickup replacement, I would be out another six to eight hundred dollars just because I like the looks of this guitar. AHHHH...NO. I love Fender guitars but for the last few years there has not been one single new guitar that I would buy. PEACE